FIG. 1 depicts air-bearing surface (ABS) and side views of a conventional main pole 10 for a conventional magnetic recording head. The conventional magnetic recording head may be a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head. The conventional magnetic recording head typically includes a conventional read transducer (not shown) and a conventional write transducer (not shown). The conventional main pole 10 includes sidewalls 12 at an angle, θ, from vertical. For the conventional main pole 10 to be used, the angle, θ, is greater than zero degrees. For example, angles in the range of eight to nine degrees may be used. The width, w, of the main pole corresponds to the track width of the conventional main pole 10. The conventional main pole 10 includes a high moment material, such as CoFe having a moment of two Tesla or higher.
Although the conventional main pole 10 functions, the trend in magnetic recording heads is to higher recording densities and, therefore, lower widths. As the width of the conventional main pole 10 is reduced, the bottom of the conventional main pole 10 will eventually reduce in size, ending in a point. Such a conventional main pole 10 may be difficult to fabricate.
FIG. 2 depicts ABS and side views of another conventional main pole 10′ for a conventional magnetic recording head. The conventional magnetic recording head may be a PMR head. The conventional magnetic recording head typically includes a conventional read transducer (not shown) and a conventional write transducer (not shown). The conventional main pole 10′ is analogous to the conventional main pole 10′ and thus includes sidewalls 12′ at an angle, θ′, from vertical. The conventional main pole 10′ also includes a high moment portion 16 and a low moment portion 14. The high moment portion 16 is analogous to the main pole 10, and thus may have a moment of greater than two Tesla. The low moment portion 14 has a moment less than two Tesla.
Because of the inclusion of the low moment portion 14, the conventional main pole 10′ may have a smaller angle, θ′. Stated differently, the conventional main pole 10′ may have a smaller physical angle 8′ and thus a wider bottom than the conventional main pole 10 for the same width, w. As a result, the conventional main pole 10′ may be easier to fabricate than the conventional main pole 10 at lower widths, w.
Although the conventional main pole 10′ may be easier to fabricate at higher recording densities, writeability may suffer. The conventional main pole 10′ may be unable to deliver as high a magnetic field as desired to write to smaller tracks. Consequently, even though such a conventional pole 10′ may be produced, the magnetic recording heads using such poles 10′ may not function as desired.
Accordingly, what is needed is a system and method for improving the performance of a magnetic recording head at higher recording densities.